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October 21, 2010

"You can use any type of wholegrain rice you like - just think non-white. There are many wonderful whole grain rice varietals out there to try - brown rice, red rice, wild rice - I used a black Japonica rice in the version pictured here. If I were sharing this with a friend or guests I might make the dressing a bit more elaborate (for example using the dressing from Otsu salad in Super Natural Cooking). As far as poaching the eggs is concerned, I've tried varying techniques over the years to achieve nicely poached eggs - recently abandoning the vinegar-water (as well as the whirlpool/ vortex technique) and instead opting for an approach more in line with the one highlighted in Michael Ruhlman's new book - utilizing a strainer to minimize flyaway whites.

Fill a wide-mouthed saucepan with 3-4 inches of water and bring to a simmer.

Separately, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, salt, and crusher red pepper flakes. Let the onions soften up a bit - a couple minutes. Stir in the tofu if you are using it - let that heat up and brown a tad. Now stir in the garlic and greens. Cook the greens for a couple minutes, until they collapse and soften up. Stir in the pre-cooked rice and saute until hot. Remove from heat, and set aside. Taste for seasoning as well.

Now back to the simmering water. You are going to use this to poach the eggs one at a time. Gently crack egg into a ramekin, carefully slip it into a mesh strainer over your sink - some of the whites will run through and strain off (if the mesh is too fine, you won't get the desired effect). This minimizes the fly-away whites you normally get. Now, carefully slide the egg back into the ramekin. Lower the ramekin down into the simmering water and let the egg slip out. Let it simmer there for a few minutes, past the point when the whites have become opaque. If you like a loose yolk, cook for less time. Remove the egg with a strainer or slotted spoon and either serve it atop some rice or set aside while you repeat the process with the remaining eggs.

Divide the rice between four bowls and serve each topped with one of the poached eggs.